News in Brief: A National Roundup

National Group's President Placed on Leave in District

Bill Hill, who serves as the president of the American Association
of School Administrators, was placed on paid leave last week by his
Phoenix-area school district.

Mr. Hill told members of the school board of the Deer Valley Unified
system at their Oct. 8 meeting that he intended to resign Dec. 31. But
later in the meeting, the board instead voted to place the
superintendent on administrative leave, according to a letter written
by Susan Burke, the board president.

The board's vote, she wrote, was "pending a review by the Maricopa
County attorney's office of some matters of concern."

Mr. Hill's tenure since 1999 in the 29,000-student district has been
marked by controversy, including his decision to spend $20,000 in
district funds on promotional materials circulated at the AASA's annual
convention in 2001. ("AASA
President-Elect's Promotional Spending Reviewed," Jan. 16,
2002.)

The superintendent, whose term as president of the AASA expires next
summer, also has come under fire locally for arranging to have some of
his salary distributed in two "balloon" payments not authorized by the
board and for failing to get an Arizona driver's license and
car-registration tags, according to a report in The Arizona
Republic newspaper.

Mr. Hill could not be reached last week for comment.

Barbara Knisely, a spokeswoman for the Arlington, Va.,-based AASA, a
membership organization that represents the viewpoints of school
administrators, said the association's rules require only that people
be serving as superintendents when they seek and are inducted into
office, but not for the entire term.

"We've been extremely pleased with his leadership," she said of Mr.
Hill.

—Ann Bradley

N.Y.C. Schools, Teachers' Union Agree to Schedule Change

The New York City schools and the city teachers' union have agreed
to modify the school schedule after problems cropped up with the new
format.

Under an agreement the district reached with the United Federation
of Teachers in June, teachers' workweeks were extended by 100 minutes
this school year. Most community districts within the 1.1
million-student system opted to have teachers spend half that time in
professional development each week and the other half instructing small
groups of students who needed the help.

But irregular student schedules, in turn, disrupted the bus runs for
students who are transported to school, said David Sherman, the vice
president of the UFT. And in some cases, the 50-minute period of
professional development wasn't well- planned.

Instead, at the city's request, the union agreed to extend the day
in elementary schools by 15 minutes; once every two weeks, teachers
will have a 50-minute period for professional development.

At the middle and high school levels, class time will be extended by
20 minutes a day. Time allocated to faculty conferences during the
school day is to be used for professional development.

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said in a statement that the new
arrangement, scheduled to take effect Oct. 30, "ensures stability and
predictability for family schedules throughout the rest of the school
year."

—Ann Bradley

School Board in Michigan Suspends Key Officials

A Michigan school board has suspended four top district officials
after a special investigation raised questions about at least $1
million in financial transactions since 1999.

The River Rouge school board last week suspended with pay Benjamin
Benford II, the superintendent; Anna Riggins, the director of school
and community relations; Marie Miller, the chief financial director;
and Joseph Emery Jr., the director of athletics. The Michigan State
Police and state treasury officials are investigating, according to
Lynn Tate, the president of the school board for the 2,550-student
district in Wayne County.

"I haven't heard from many people in the district that they are that
upset," Mr. Tate said. "You know what? You just go through the process
of getting to the bottom of it."

The report, commissioned by the school board, was written by George
Ward, a former Wayne County chief assistant prosecutor. It showed
alleged financial irregularities ranging from missing sports inventory
to overpaid officials.

Among the findings, Mr. Tate said: Hundreds of thousands of dollars
in contracts were awarded without going through the proper bidding
process or getting school board approval; the superintendent was paid
$110,787 more than the board approved; and the superintendent's son
received a full- time salary at a time when he was away at college.

The four officials could not be reached for comment last week.

—Lisa Fine Goldstein

Ex-Officials to Pay Interest In Thefts From Ky. Foundation

Two former Jefferson County, Ky., school officials who are paying
back $300,000 that they admitted stealing from a school foundation have
been ordered to pay 12 percent interest on the money.

Jim and Patti Hearn must pay about $183,000 in interest, according
to a ruling this month by a Jefferson County circuit court judge. The
money will go to the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation.

The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in June that the couple, who were
placed on 10 years' probation, must pay interest.

The couple admitted to stealing the money between 1994 and 1997. The
Hearns, who have since moved to North Carolina, have been paying $4,000
a month, according to their lawyer, Bart Adams of Louisville, and will
extend those payments to cover the interest.

Before the theft case, Ms. Hearn was a deputy superintendent in the
95,000-student Jefferson County district, and her husband was the
chairman of the school board.

—Ann Bradley

7 Percent of Charter Schools Have Shut Down, Report Says

The proportion of charter schools forced to shut down across the
nation has risen to nearly 7 percent of the total number that have
opened, according to a report scheduled for release this week.

In its third report on charter school closings, the Center for
Education Reform reports that 194, or 6.7 percent, of the 2,894 schools
that have been granted charters have shut down since the nation's first
charter school opened in Minnesota in 1992.

That represents an increase from 4 percent the last time the center
compiled such figures, in December 2001.

The report, slated for release Oct. 15, breaks down the closed
schools by state, and specifies whether their chief problems stemmed
from finances, mismanagement, academics, facilities, or district
downsizing.

Beyond the closed schools, the center reports that an additional 77
schools were consolidated into the school districts that chartered
them, and that another 84 schools received charters but never
opened.

Jeanne Allen, the president of the Washington-based center, which
strongly supports charter schools, argued that the figures are evidence
that "the charter concept is succeeding," because failed schools are
being held accountable for results.

At the same time, Ms. Allen and Melanie Looney, the center's
research director, charge in the report that "the majority of these
closures could have been avoided if the education establishment had not
stood in [the charter schools'] way."

—Caroline Hendrie

Ga. Students Disciplined For 'Lynching' Barbie Doll

Three white students at Lowndes High School in southern Georgia have
been punished for the mock lynching of a doll on campus.

A black student discovered the white Barbie doll, which had been
spray-painted black and hung from a tree with a noose around its neck,
and helped identify the culprits, said Steve Smith, the superintendent
of the 9,300-student Lowndes County district.

The three students were suspended for five school days, ending Oct.
10, and were transferred to another school, which they will attend at
least until December.

The district also reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation as a possible hate crime. Mr. Smith said FBI officials
investigated and have referred the case to the U.S. Department of
Justice.

Race relations at the 2,750-student school have generally been good,
the superintendent noted, saying that he considered the episode an
"isolated incident."

"It serves as a reminder that our jobs are not done yet," Mr. Smith
said. "We still have more to do."

—Andrew Trotter

Vol. 22, Issue 7, Page 4

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